King Robert Baratheon is dead and the kingdoms of Westeros brace for impending war. House Lannister, whose daughter Cersei was Robert's queen, claims the throne for her young son, Joffrey. From his seat on the isle of Dragonstone, Robert's younger brother Stannis rightfully demands the throne for himself. On the Iron Isles, House Greyjoy is about to embark on a second rebellion, but this time with a grander goal. In the north, House Stark gathers its strength to defend what is right. In the south, wealthy House Tyrell harbors an old ambition to sit on the Iron Throne but must be every wary of the ancient House Martell and its legacy of vengeance. All the while, in the far north beyond the Wall, the wildling threat steadily grows in strength.

As armies gather and ravens fly, a clash of kings is inevitable.

Based on the best-selling novel series, A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones Boardgame (2nd Edition) allows players to take control of the great Houses of Westeros and embark on an epic struggle to claim the Iron Throne. Immerse yourself in a game of clever planning, careful allocation of power, and delicate diplomacy, all in the exciting flavor of A Song of Ice and Fire.

This updated 2nd Edition of the best-selling board game brings a host of enhancements to your A Game of Thrones experience. It incorporates elements from the previous expansions, including ports, garrisons, wildling cards, and siege engines. In addition, it introduces welcome new innovations; convenient players screens hide your careful planning from prying eyes, while the Tides of Battle cards convey the risks of war.

Whether you like the books or the HBO series, get yourself this game and feel like your are on the front lines. Play as the great houses and vie for power, make deals and backstab your so called friends before they backstab you! Great components and a nice board! I recommend using your phone to text your rivals under the table , used this to help claim victory a few times.

This is an interactive and thematic game that holds pretty true to the GoT storyline. It's definitely a great choice for fans of the books/show and may even be enjoyed independent of its theme as a well-designed area control game. It's a long game to begin with and plays best with the max of 6 players, which means that it's a multi-hour commitment, at least in my group. This may be either a pro or a con, depending on your preferences. The interaction tends to be pretty cutthroat and some people have complained about getting backed into a bad spot early in the game and being unable to recover. This is where the meta-gaming elements of negotiation and treaty-making come into play. While "kingmaking" may be frowned upon in most games, it actually fits the theme of this one perfectly, so it's possible for all players to have a good time even if they don't all individually have a chance at winning. In summary, this is one of the most divisive games in my collection; it may fall flat with many groups, but I really enjoy it!

With an inexperienced group, the game can be over fairly quickly. Because someone will win before the rounds are up. You'll then sit and think about how you were duped. You'll itch and yearn for more of the intrigue and planning. Eventually, you'll return, strategy in hand, and the game will take forever. Half a day, maybe. People will threaten to leave. It will be glorious. When you're wise to the back-doors and the quick wins, your game will draw on through the hours towards completion.
I love this game. It's not for everyone... but anyone can play it. My Catan group took a crack at it, and it got brutal. But, again, it took something like 4-5 hours.

As my title suggests I truly only suggest this with 6 players (the expansion balances it for 4 I believe). As such this is a truly wonderful game. Alliances must be formed from the first turn to stop anyone else from gaining a large advantage. Not every player starts in an equal position and that only makes things more interesting. The only thing that happens more than backstabbing is fighting...and backstabbing happens all the time! Beware shifting alliances.. know when to shift before your "ally" can...because only one person can from the Iron Throne.

This game also has wonderful art, excellent components and much improved rules & game play from the first edition (or so I am told...I never played 1st ed. but I found no problems with this edition so I believe it!!).

As noted in another review, this is not a short game. And it definitely shines with the full compliment of six players. I haven't gotten all six players to sit down with my copy, but I went out and bought a copy after my first game at a friends house, and don't regret the purchase at all.

Beautiful components, clean game play, and tons of hidden information leads to tense, meaningful turns almost right out of the gate. Combat is deterministic, and really matters. Finding that razors edge between spreading thin and remaining passive is more satisfying than almost any strategy hand I can think of.

while the game is fun, and takes a while to play, unless you are playing with someone to be each faction, the game is nothing more than learning, causing every faction that is not played to just be easy picking for the southern nations.

Having played 20 or so games of the 1st edition, I can assure you this edition is an improvement in every sense of the word on its predecessor. Both the graphics and game mechanis have been improved, making what was a strong game into a must-buy.